Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
After the conversation with his mother, Tatsuo headed to his room to get changed out of his school uniform and into his training gear. While changing, he took the time to look over his [Status], which he hadn't checked since before he left for the My Hero Academia [Mission].
{[Status]
[Personal Information]
Name: Soramoto Tatsuo
Age: 15
Race: Human/Void Dragon
Title: Prince of the Void
Coins: 493,186
[Physical Attributes]
Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: B+
Strength: B+
Agility: A-
Dexterity: A-
Endurance: B+
Intelligence: B+
Perception: B+
Energy: A
Charm: A
[Passive Skills]
Language: E+
Pianist: B-
Singing: C+
Martial Arts – B+
Weapon Mastery: S-
Firearms Mastery: B-
Cooking: A
First Aid: D
Hacking: C-
Blacksmithing: B-
Leatherworking: C+
Tailoring: B-
Programming: E+
Acting: C+
[Active Skills]
Stealth: B+
Back Stab: C+
Enchanting: C+
Movement Skills: B+
Alchemy: B+
Lightning Clad: B-
Air Claw: C+
Mana Burst: A+
Wind Magic: D
Fire Magic: C+
Healing Magic: B+
Purification Magic: B
Metal Magic: B+
Electromagnetism Magic: A
Thread Magic: B+
Lightning Magic: B+
Requip Magic: The Knight: B
Projection Magecraft (Trace): S-
Jewel Magicraft: B
Senbonzakura: B-
Spatial Manipulation: S-
Water Manipulation: B
Ice Manipulation: B
Power of Destruction: A-
Plant Manipulation: B-
Dragon of the Darkness Flame: B-
Senjutsu: B
[Abilities]
Mana Reactor: A+
Dragon Fear: S+
The End: SS+
Humanoid Dragon Transformation: S+
[Affinities]
Space – S
Lightning - B
Fire – A+
[Resistances]
Space - S
Time – C+
Light – C+
Dark – C+
Earth – C+
Wind – C+
Fire – A+
Water – C-
Lightning – B-
Physical – B+
Petrification – B-
Poison – B-
Paralysis – B-
[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]}
"A few things went up." Tatsuo muttered while looking over his new [Status]. "I guess I really did miss some [Notifications] while I was undergoing the reversion. Still, it wasn't enough to push me up to A- overall, huh?'
While continuing to look over his status, Tatsuo finished changing into his training gear. Then, he closed his [Status] before [Blinking] down a floor to the training room.
"Good, you're here." Sumire said from the centered of the sparring ring. "Now, let me see how much you've grown while you were away. Use everything you have, Tatsu-Chan."
"I'm fighting you, Mom?" Tatsuo asked while stretching.
"Exactly." Sumire replied cheerfully. "I'm not looking down on Mai-Chan and the others, but if you go all out, they can't compete with you."
"For now." Ayane said in a competitive tone. "Just wait, I'll surpass you one day."
Tatsuo only smiled in response before making his way into the ring.
"I'm ready whenever you are." Sumire said with her right arm folded behind her back and her left extended towards Tatsuo.
"Even if I know I can't win, I'll make you use your other arm today, Mom." Tatsuo said as he took his fighting stance.
"It's easy to say whatever you want, Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said with a smile. Though, her smile was not as cheerful as usual. "But unless you can back it up, it's better not to say anything at all."
*Swish!*
To Tatsuo's surprise, instead of letting him attack first like she usually did when sparring with him, Mai, Kasumi, or Ayane, Sumire actually took the initiative to attack first. [Blinking] to Tatsuo's left side, Sumire threw a jab at Tatsuo's jaw, the force behind it splitting the air as her fist approached.
Reacting quickly, Tatsuo took a half step backwards, avoiding the jab by less than an inch. He then stepped towards Sumire, a crushing elbow strike aimed at the middle of her chest.
*Smack!*
Yet, Sumire reacted even faster, pulling back her outstretched left hand and catching Tatsuo's elbow with little effort.
*Crack!*
Yet, the ring cracked behind Sumire, letting Mai, Kasumi, and Ayane, who were watching from beyond the fence, know that the power behind Tatsuo's blow was more than either of them would be able to handle.
"He really has gotten a lot stronger." Kasumi said in an astonished tone.
"He has." Mai replied, her tone much more serious than usual. "But I'm fairly certain he was capable of that before his last [Mission]. Instead, he was more focused on his technique. So, he never used that much power."
"I see." Kasumi replied with a nod of understanding.
"I said use everything, Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said sternly while continuing to hold Tatsuo's elbow. "Don't hold back. I know you can hit harder than that."
"*Sigh*Fine." Tatsuo replied, his expression turning serious. "But if the building gets damaged, don't blame me."
"You'd have to be a lot stronger than you are now to damage my [Wards], Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said with a hint of provocation.
Despite knowing his mother was trying to rile him up to make him show his true ability, Tatsuo could not help rising to the provocation. Immediately, his muscle mass increased, his tail sprouted from his lower back, and his arms were covered in midnight purple dragon scales as he activated his [Humanoid Dragon Transformation].
Tatsuo then launched into a series of rapid attacks.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
With his left elbow still in his mother's grasp, Tatsuo spun to the right, throwing his right elbow at Sumire's head. Yet, Sumire calmly leaned back, avoiding the elbow strike by a hair.
Then, Tatsuo wrenched his arm out of Sumire's grip while simultaneously lowering himself to throw a sweeping kick at her legs. But once again, Sumire evaded with the least possible movement, simply stepping back, out of the range of Tatsuo's kick. However, she was forced to block the tail sweep that came immediately afterwards with her now free left hand.
*Bang!*
The power behind the tail sweep was on a different level from the other attacks Sumire either blocked or evaded. As a result, she was lifted off her feet and sent backwards towards the ring's fence.
"Not bad." Sumire said as she landed gracefully just in front of the fence. "But that's still not--- Ooh!"
Before Sumire could finish her provocation, she was forced to stop when Tatsuo [Blinked] above her while summersaulting through the air, his tail slamming down at the top of her head.
Darting forward, Sumire used her small size to her advantage as she passed under Tatsuo, moving just a hair faster than his tail. Then, when his momentum was spent, she used her lefthand to grab Tatsuo's tail before starting to spin, Tatsuo's body following along with Sumire's spin.
However, before Sumire could throw Tatsuo across the ring, his tail vanished from her grip as he [Blinked] once again, reappearing behind Sumire with his right leg extended and the momentum from being swung around still present.
*Bang!*
Although she could have easily evaded Tatsuo's kick by [Blinking] away, Sumire chose to block the kick, stopping Tatsuo's momentum in the process. She then tilted her had back to avoid being struck by his tail.
However, Tatsuo never expected his tail swipe to connect. Instead, he only used it to restart his momentum. Then, with a bit of rotational force, he brought his claws, now coated in [Spatial Energy], down at Sumire's left shoulder.
"Good, your technique has improved." Sumire said as she quickly raised her left hand, her fingernails also coated with [Spatial Energy]. "But you're still holding back."
*Screech~~~~~~~!*
Then, with perfect precision, Sumire brought her fingers up to meet Tatsuo's claws, the [Spatial Energies] cancelling each other out on impact.
"*Grrr* Fine, I'll go all-out if that's what you want." Tatsuo said, his draconic nature giving his voice a beastly quality.
In the next instant, Tatsuo's wings sprouted from his back, tearing his shirt in the process.
"Mmm~!" Mai hummed in delight. "Me like."
"Down, you horny vixen." Ayane said while rolling her eyes.
*Swish!*
With a powerful flap of his wings, Tatsuo vanished from where he stood. However, instead of using his [Spatial Abilities], he attained this feat with nothing but pure speed. At the same time, Sumire also pushed off the ground, using pure speed to vanish, as well.
However, unlike Tatsuo, she did not need to sprout a pair of wings to reach a similar speed. On top of that, when she vanished, Sumire did not make a sound, showing that her control of her body and power was still above Tatsuo's.
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
For the next few minutes, neither Mai, Kasumi, nor Ayane could follow the action in the fenced off octagon, as Tatsuo and Sumire were moving far too fast for any of them to see. Yet, the sounds of collision let the three young women know just how fierce the battle was.
*Bang!*
Eventually, one final collision marked the end of the match, as Tatsuo and Sumire reappeared in the center of the ring. And while Tatsuo's clothing was torn even more, Sumire still looked as pristine as when the match started. Yet, all three young women were surprised to see that Tatsuo had actually succeeded in making Sumire use her right hand, as it was wrapped around the tip of his tail, which was rather close to the right side of her head.
"Holy shit, he actually did it." Ayane muttered in dumbfounded amazement.
"Language." Kasumi muttered reflexively with a similarly disbelieving expression on her face.
"My Tatsu-Kun is so amazing~~~~~!" Mai squealed with metaphorical hearts in her eyes.
'Wait, are those actual hearts in her eyes?' Tatsuo asked himself after glancing in Mai's direction. 'What the hell? I know this is an anime world, but it's kind of a Shonen world, isn't it? Does shit like that even happen in Shonen?'
Tatsuo and Sumire held their positions for a while, their serious expressions staying in place. However, Sumire's expression was the first to change, as her serious expression melted into a doting mother's expression.
"Tatsu-Chan!" Sumire shouted happily as she let go of Tatsuo's right ankle, which she had caught and raised to use Tatsuo's leg to block a simultaneous right hook, and his tail before throwing herself at him with an elated smile on her face. "You really did it! You made me use my right hand. My Tatsu-Chan is so strong!"
*Bang!*
Supporting himself on one leg, Tatsuo was knocked down to the ring by Sumire's hug.
"Come on, Mom, stop it." Tatsuo said while smiling wryly as he reverted to his human form. "You don't have to get like this every time I do something, do you?"
"I'm just making up for lost time." Sumire said while rubbing her face on Tatsuo's chest. "I have to make up for the eight years you were gone, after all."
"*Sigh* Whatever.' Tatsuo replied while shaking his head in resignation. "Do whatever you want."
"Ehehe!" Sumire only giggled in response.
Meanwhile, Mai, Kasumi, and Ayane entered the ring shortly afterwards. Then, after a round of congratulations, the group got to their regular training.
"I'll be right back." Tatsuo said while Sumire began instructing Mai, Kasumi, and Ayane on their training. "I need to change clothes."
"No~~~~~~~~!" Mai shrieked as she threw herself at Tatsuo, hugging his leg with tears in her eyes. "Leave it like this, please! I'm begging you! Please leave it like this. I'm super motivated right now!"
*Sigh!* x 4
Tatsuo, Sumire, Kasumi, and Ayane all sighed simultaneously at Mai's shamelessness. Then, without even considering Mei's request, Tatsuo [Blinked] up to his room leaving the lovestruck kunoichi on the floor, crying at the injustice.
A few minutes later, after throwing away his ruined clothes and changing into a new set, Tatsu returned to the gym and continued his workout.
"Hey, Where's Tio?" Tatsuo asked, finally noticing that someone was missing. "She never misses training."
"Oh, Tio-Chan is working." Sumire replied with a smile. "After finding out about your reward from your [Mission], we had to reschedule your television recording sessions. She's working on that right now."
"Huh? Tatsuo exclaimed in confusion. "Recordings? Why would I need to record anything for TV?"
"Are you dumb?" Ayane asked disdainfully. "Your album will be released during Golden Week. There's no way Sumire-Sama will let her precious baby boy release his album without some marketing and publicity."
"Oh… I actually forgot about that." Tatsuo said while smiling sheepishly. "I mean, I was gone for more than a year. Something like releasing an album stopped being important at some point during that year."
With that, the group continued to train. Finally, when the training was over, everyone headed back upstairs to take showers and get ready for bed. And just as they discussed earlier, after taking their showers, everyone, including Tio, gathered in Tatsuo's room where they watched a movie and fell asleep in his massive bed.
The next morning, everyone got ready for work and school like usual. For Tatsuo, Kasumi, and Ayane, the trip to school was normal, too. However, when they arrived at the shoe lockers, that was when something strange happened.
"Is that Tenma-San?" Kasumi asked curiously.
"No one else has those little pigtail-things but her." Ayane replied while rolling her eyes. "But what is she doing?"
"Looks like she's putting a love letter in someone's shoe locker." Kasumi replied.
"A love letter?" Ayane asked while looking at the scroll Tenma was holding. "Are you sure that's not a pipe bomb disguised as a scroll?"
Hearing Ayane's question, Tatsuo could not help laughing aloud. Luckily, Tenma was so focused on her task that she did not notice.
"Anyway, just leave her be." Tatsuo said with a shrug after getting his laughter under control. "Her love life is none of our concern."
'I wonder if she forgot to sign that stupidly long letter in this world, too.' Tatsuo thought to himself as he made his way over to his own shoe locker. Then, after changing shoes, he walked partway with Kasumi and Ayane before the three separated to head to their homeroom classes.
When Tatsuo arrived in his class, although he was not the last one there, there were quite a few people already in the classroom. And among them was Yakumo.
"Good morning, Yakumo-Chan." Tatsuo said as he approached his desk. "I saw your Nee-San at the shoe lockers a few minutes ago. And she was putting what looked like a scroll into someone's locker. Any idea who it was for?"
"A scroll?" Yakumo asked with genuine confusion in her tone. "Although I'm confused to hear that she put a scroll in someone's shoe locker, 'm fairly certain I know who it was for. But Nee-San asked me to keep it a secret. So, I can't tell you. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Tatsu replied while waving off Yakumo's apology. "I was just curious because, if it was a love letter, it was a really, really long love letter."
While saying that, Tatsuo glanced at Haruhi, who was sitting alone at her desk.
'She added another ponytail an changed the color of her headband.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'So, that's just like the anime, too, huh?'
Not long after Tatsuo had that thought, the seats in the classroom filled up, with Chiho being the last to arrive. Then, shortly after Chiho arrived, the bell signaling the beginning of homeroom rang and Itoko entered the classroom.
'Harima-Senpai isn't here.' Tatsuo thought to himself while glancing at the seat Kenji sat in yesterday. 'Looks like he managed to get himself into a second-year class. I'll ask him which class he's in later… If I see him, that is.'